Paineful Confrontations
by Cable Fraga
Summary: Final Fantasy X2 NoojPaine You pull the pigtails of the one you love. Please R


_**A/N** - Okay, so I submitted this to a contest, didn't even get an honorable mention. I really wasn't too upset about that, because really the fun in writing fan fiction is in the writing. (sounds like a typical looser thing to say, eh?) Well since the folks I submitted it to didn't print it or anything, so I figured I'd share it with you mr. or miss reader! _

_I think it's a fun story with cool characters. I kind of like it actually, it's a little rushed, but fun. Please let me know what you think, and thanks in advance!_

"Paine"ful Confrontation

"Do you even know how hard it is to track you down?" Paine heard a familiar soft low voice ask from behind.

She turned slowly and looked up to see a man in his early twenties, but with experience that betrays his age. He absently pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his expression stern as usual. His hair pulled back in their signature long braids, with one unkempt wild strand that refused to be tamed.

She reached up into her own hair, curling a small strand between her fingers, not that there was much length to play with, "yes, I suppose it is."

"I would hope that you wouldn't mind if we talk a bit over something to eat," Nooj replied without missing a beat.

"I am not hungry, and I really am quite busy," she said quickly.

"The Youth League has a camp just outside of town it won't take too long, please come with me?" he asked.

Paine thought about protesting, but noticed they were drawing a mild crowd. Nooj was one of the world leaders and highly recognizable. She too had a hand in the defense of Spira, so the two of them together drew quite a lot of attention.

He turned and limped ahead, as his right arm and leg were Al Bhed machina, he had lost his own during a battle against Sin a little more than two years ago. Although he relied on a cane for support, he was still a force to be reckoned with in battle.

Paine watched him, noting how his walk, despite the limp, commanded respect. Two years prior, it did not have the same quality. He had wanted death to take him and that desire affected his whole countenance. He tried to surrender during a fiend attack, but Paine had killed the fiend that was charging him. She wondered why he would give up his life so effortlessly, later wondering why she had even cared. She convinced herself that she had just done in battle what any man would have done for his comrades.

Even so, why was she afraid of him? Why did she ignore his requests for a meeting? She kept thinking that she was just busy. A lot had to be done now that the world of Spira had escaped destruction for yet a second time. Unfortunately, this time it was in the midst of rebuilding. Thus the efforts of the past two years were just about wiped out, and the people's confidence were at an all time low.

Paine made an effort to not get involved with the political affairs and continue taking jobs as needed. But it seemed that Nooj had other plans for that. She had this nagging feeling in her head that she couldn't tell him, "no" if he asked her help in anything. "Okay," she thought, "I'm just a coward."

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"The Youth League has a camp set up outside of Luca," Nooj called back to her.

She rolled her eyes. Great, she was going to end up helping with one rebuilding plan or another, or perhaps even some sort of confidence building exercise for the people of Spira. This wasn't exactly her forte. She preferred dispatching monsters. "Perhaps there were still fiends lurking that I the girls and I need to take care of," she thought cheerfully. She then realized she would rather dispatch monsters than take on some civilian public assistance project.

They reached the camp, populated with several small tents, one tent slightly larger than the rest. Nooj pulled aside the fabric door of the larger tent motioning Paine to go in first.

"Uh oh, you are holding the door open for me. That cannot be a good thing," she grumbled.

Nooj smiled tightly while waiting on her to go inside. "Please, have a seat," he motioned to several overstuffed cushions on the ground of the tent.

"That's okay, I'll stand. I have several things to do. After we are finished I need to get going," she said quickly.

"Ah," Nooj responded clearing his throat. He looked around slightly nervously. "Well, as you know we are reaching a point where people of Spira are beginning to relax again, and they are more confident in the government as well."

"Okay," Paine nodded crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"And… uh, I know that you and the girls are not as busy as you used to be," he replied.

"Just get to the point, Nooj. What do you want?" she asked making it clear with the irritated tone of voice. She secretly hoped that she could intimidate him out of asking her whatever it was he was going to ask of her.

"I see," Nooj looked back into her eyes. "Simply put, Paine… I miss you."

She lifted her eyebrows, "you… what?"

"I want to get to know you better," Nooj said softly.

Paine shook her head, "oh no… no not, what are you thinking?" She started pacing the ground, her mind racing, "Check that, I don't want to know what you are thinking. What about LaBlanc? What are her feelings?"

"You care about the feelings of a person who was nothing but a thorn in your side?" Nooj asked.

"Not particularly, but she really cared for you," Paine replied.

"LaBlanc and I were mostly together because she offered me spheres, I offered her power… not exactly relationship material," Nooj said.

Paine turned away from him, pacing the ground further away, "relationship? Why me, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we have something worth exploring," he approached her slowly.

She spun quickly, "don't touch me," she warned.

Nooj backed away, "listen, I don't… I'm sorry, please forget it. I wouldn't want to hurt you in any way."

She looked up into his concerned expression. He slowly pulled off his glasses letting his arms fall to his sides. She stared at him contemplating. He certainly was a handsome man. She felt herself fill with warmth as she appreciated his features. "I…" she choked out, "I've got to go…" She turned looking at the ground forcing her legs to march out of the tent.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!!!" She screamed in her head. "What is his problem??" she cried within herself. It took her two years to turn off her attraction towards him. TWO YEARS! Now, he wants to explore their feelings? She marched on, her face hot and her eyes watery.

"Hey, where's the fire?" she looked up sharply and saw Gippal and Baralai, other world leaders of Spira and good friends from the past.

"No fire, but I am needed elsewhere," she walked away briskly.

Gippal grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Come on, girl, talk to us."

"Let go, Gippal!" she growled.

"Did Nooj talk to you?" Baralai asked softly.

Paine jerked her arm out of Gippal's grip, "yes, unfortunately."

"Oh, I guess I misinterpreted…" Baralai said thoughtfully.

Paine rubbed her arm, "You misinterpreted?" she accused.

"Nobody misinterpreted," Gippal chimed in. "Paine, you are just a wimp."

"What do you know?" she asked angrily.

"I know that you and Nooj have pined for each other for just about as long as I can remember," Gippal said.

"Your memory sucks," Nooj threw in a Rikku term for emphasis.

"Oh yeah?" Gippal grabbed her shoulders quickly and planted a kiss upon her lips.

Paine's eyes were hot. She coiled her fingers, shoved him back with her left arm and threw her right fist across his nose. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed.

"OW!" Gippal shouted in pain. "I'm trying to prove a point."

"What, that you are an idiot?"

"She broke my dose!!" Gippal whined.

"I think Gippal wanted you to stop and think for a minute," Baralai replied calmly.

"Son of a…" Gippal sputtered. "Did you hab to hit me so hard?"

"Shut up," Paine commanded.

"Please, don't be too hard on Nooj. We kind of forced him into this," Baralai continued searching for the right words. "He thinks of you often. And I am fairly sure that you think of him, too."

"What? I don't…" Paine sighed. "Well… maybe," she admitted reluctantly.

Gippal pointed, "SEE WHAD I'M SAYING!!"

"Blood's dripping out of your nose, dummy," Paine narrowed her eyes at him.

"Cuz you broke id, dummy," Gippal narrowed his eyes back at her.

"Here, use this," Nooj walked up to the group throwing a small potion bottle at him.

"Thanks," Gippal pouted drinking a little, dabbing a bit on his nose.

"You guys are drawing a crowd," Nooj said sternly. "Let's move it along."

"Right," Paine agreed as she turned to walk away.

"Now wait a minute," Gippal grabbed her shoulder.

"Gippal you have three seconds to move your hand or I break your jaw too," she said calmly.

"Let her go, Gippal" Nooj commanded sternly.

"Thank you," she looked back at Nooj briefly. She then turned and walked away.

"I'm hoping that wasn't your last chance," Gippal sulked.

"Doesn't matter," Nooj replied, "the next move is hers."

Paine returned to the airship, still livid from the confrontation. She tried to calm down, but something inside remained on fire. She waited until everybody was preoccupied with projects and sat upon her bed crossing her legs and closed her eyes. She slowed her breathing and let her mind drift. She opened her eyes abruptly. "How dare he," she growled underneath her breath.

"How dare he what?" a soft feminine voice from beside her asked.

Paine turned sharply, "Oh, Yuna, I didn't know that you were there."

"What's wrong, Paine?" Yuna cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

"Nothing!" Paine said.

"Oh, so you growl and meditate at the same time. That can't be productive," She smiled cheerfully as she teased.

"I suppose not," Paine sighed.

"I'm going to try to be perceptive, so indulge me," she sat down on her own bed. "Since you said 'he' I assume there is a man involved?" she asked.

Paine kept her mouth firmly shut while she stared down at her bunk.

"Ah, and considering your rage level, I would say it's a man that you are quite fond of."

Paine shot Yuna a glare.

"I think I hit the nail on the head. I'm also guessing that the man is probably a certain leader of the Youth League," she smirked.

"What? How?" she sputtered. She looked up at the ceiling and then sunk her face into her hands.

"I may be kind of naïve, but I'm not stupid," Yuna replied softly. "I have found that it's the people we love the most that can make us the angriest."

"I don't love…" Paine began.

"You don't have to tell me anything," Yuna assured her. She stood and patted Paine on the knee. "But realize that you are not just hurting yourself by being stubborn."

"If I was less of a woman, I would throw something hard and sharp at you," Paine grumbled.

"You'll never be less of a woman, Paine. Time is short. Don't let the one who angers you like this get away," Yuna advised.

"It's not as simple as that. It's true that I cannot deny the fact that I had feelings, strong feelings for him. He's an incredible fighter, he overcame the odds, and he gives me this look that…"

"Just melts your heart?" Yuna offered.

"Yeah," Paine blushed. "But I can't get past the feeling of betrayal. I know it wasn't technically him that shot the guys and me."

"Shuyin," Yuna replied, mentioning the name of the spirit who had tried to destroy Spira because of losing his love a millennia prior. "Nooj had no control when Shuyin took over his body."

"I know that logically," Paine said.

"But in your heart," Yuna started.

"I was betrayed," Paine finished. "I just never sorted those feelings out. I have to admit that when he was with LaBlanc, it hurt a little, but I was able to just push those thoughts and feelings aside. But now, it's all raw."

"He's a good man and a trusted leader of Spira. I think you should sort things out before he moves on, that way you will never regret your decision," Yuna offered. "And you know… Sometimes you have to let go of your pride."

Paine scoffed. "So, you think I should go for it?"

"I think you need to do what you need to do."

"That doesn't help."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I'll leave you to your 'meditation,'" Yuna grinned.

Paine watched Yuna leave the room and then fell back on the bed sighing.

Paine approached the bridge of the Celsius tentatively. She paused to put on her brave face, when suddenly the door swished open. "PAINE!" Rikku shouted.

Paine jumped back startled. "What is it?" Paine asked.

"I was about to go get you and here you are!" she chirped.

"Yes, here I am, what is it?"

"There some trouble at the Youth League camp outside of Luca," Rikku explained.

Paine's brow furrowed, "What kind of trouble?"

"A couple of fiends suddenly appeared. Apparently they were a part of some circus freak attraction or something," she began.

"What is a circus doing with fiends?"

"Do I look like I would know?" Rikku shrugged. "Come on, we are almost there."

Rikku sprinted back on to the airship bridge. Paine followed "A little violence is good for the soul." She thought aloud.

Paine, Rikku, and Yuna landed at the Youth League Camp, noting that several tents had tear marks that look like they had been made with claws.

"Paine, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like you are turning pale… I mean paler than usual," Rikku said.

"Let's go," she ordered leading the way through the small maze of tents.

"HA! I bet that hurt!" they overheard a male voice boast.

"Gippal!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Over there!" Yuna pointed.

Paine looked and saw Gippal and Baralai attacking a large scaly beast with sharp claws.

"Care for an assist?" Paine asked coolly when they had caught up with them.

"Paine!" Gippal called to her, "check on him!" he motioned his head beyond the beast. Paine saw Nooj lying on the ground face down.

"Nooj!" she called to him.

He meekly lifted his head and grimaced.

"Don't move!" she commanded as she came alongside him. She saw claw marks that had sliced through his back with blood seeping out. "What happened?" She asked gently.

"I was looking the wrong way," he choked out. "He jumped me from behind."

"Damn," she looked at his back, "I'm going to have to cut your suit."

"Is that a bizarre come on?" he asked and then started coughing.

"I won't hit you because you are hurt, but I'd watch it if I were you," Paine warned. She proceeded to treat his wounds, using potions they had stocked before leaving the airship.

"What's his status, Dr. P.?" Gippal asked after they had defeated the fiend.

"He'll live, but we'll have to bury his clothes," Paine smirked.

"That was one thing that needed to die," Baralai replied dryly.

"No kidding," Gippal chimed.

"Very funny," Nooj groaned sitting up.

"Take it easy, man," Gippal put his hand on Nooj's shoulder.

"I'm perfectly fine, just need to find my glasses," Nooj scanned the ground.

"Hey, let me help you up," Baralai suggested.

"What's wrong with you? I'm fine. You act as if you've never been hit by a fiend before," Nooj picked up his glasses and stood.

"Wooh, hey, watch it," Gippal grabbed Nooj by his machina arm. Gippal shot Baralai a look.

"Paine, you may want to stick around to check on him," Baralai said calmly.

Paine frowned at Baralai and looked at Nooj's back that was almost completely healed. With the exception of a scar, he was back to normal. She rolled her eyes, "fine, whatever you say…"

"You know… he's … he works too hard," he blurted out.

Paine sighed, "of course." She followed them back to the larger tent where Gippal was practically pushing Nooj down on the cushions.

"Get down, you'll thank me later," Gippal whispered harshly. He tripped Nooj, spun while flashing Paine a quick grin and briskly walked out of the tent.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Nooj protested after Gippal.

"I think they are trying to give us time alone," Paine replied.

"I'm sorry," Nooj looked down and started to push up into a standing position.

"Don't," Paine walked towards him. She sat down facing him. "Don't worry about it."

"But what about the people out there?"

"Let them handle it," she said.

"I've been hit by worse," he provided.

"I know."

"Why aren't you upset at their interference?" Nooj furrowed his brow.

"I don't know," Paine looked away.

They sat silently for a while. Paine peeked into Nooj's eyes, her expression softening. She shook her head, "I'm going to regret this…"

"Regret wha...?" Nooj began but was interrupted by her lips upon his.

She kissed him gently and then pulled back, her eyes watering. She rubbed them with the back of her hand, turning away. "You realize that if you piss me off, I can kill you."

Nooj, stunned, answered, "Of course."

"You clear everything you do with me, right? No vigilante missions, no rescue missions underground, nothing, you hear me?" she turned to him, her face reddened.

Nooj nodded slowly. He placed his hand on her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I promise." He pulled her into his arms. "What made you change your mind?

She rested on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, closing her eyes, "because nobody irritates me as much as you do."

"Even more than Gippal?" Nooj joked.

"Shut up or I'll break your nose."


End file.
